The invention relates to provision of beverages and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for keeping one or more beverages fresh and dispensing the beverages remotely from a station visually appealing to a customer.
There are many methods and apparatuses for dispensing cool, fresh beverages outdoors to a large number of people.
Beverages may be dispensed by an insulated cart apparatus. However, the insulated cart design has many problems associated with dispensing beverages to a large number of people. The quantity of beverages that can be stored in the cart is small. The cart is generally mobile and therefore has weight restrictions limiting its size and volume. The interior of the cart also requires space for insulation, ice, or a refrigeration unit, which further limits the space or volume available for beverage storage. Carts are therefore only able to serve a small number of customers before requiring a refill. Many carts are only able to dispense canned or bottled beverages, which are more expensive than beverages dispensed by the cup. It is also difficult to keep the cans and bottles cold, because the interior of the cart loses coolness each time a beverage is removed.
Another type of design employed to dispense cool beverages such as fruit juices outdoors is a homemade juice stand. Such stands dispense juice by the glass, and some also allow the customer to view fresh juice being made. The homemade stand, however, is costly, messy and labor intensive. Raw fruit and vegetable materials for juice production are expensive and require a large volume of storage space. In addition, a large work area is necessary to prepare the juice, and numerous personnel are needed to prepare large quantities of juice. Squeezing the fruits by hand is extremely labor intensive, and squeezing or blending the juices mechanically requires costly equipment that is difficult to clean.
Another design used in outdoor beverage sales is that of a stand with a countertop xe2x80x9cpre-mixxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpost-mixxe2x80x9d dispenser apparatus. Pre-mix dispensers are used to serve a finished beverage through a fountain head located on the dispenser unit. The holding tank may be opaque or transparent for display purposes. Post-mix dispensers do not store pre-mixed or already blended syrup and water. Instead, the syrup, water and, in some cases, CO2, are conveyed by separate conduits to a dispenser housing and then mixed immediately prior to being dispensed through a fountain head on the housing. The syrup may be stored remotely from the dispenser housing in a metallic cylinder or in a collapsible plastic bag in a cardboard box.
A traditional pre-mix dispenser consists of a refrigeration unit mounted on a counter and a display container for the beverage mounted on and above the refrigeration unit. A cover or lid for the open top of the display container is removable to enable refilling. The container often has a mechanism for agitating the beverage to maintain homogeneity for juices and uniform cooling of the beverage, or merely to enhance the attractiveness of the beverage display. Two of the problems associated with the traditional pre-mix dispenser apparatus are its small dispensing capacity and counter space location. The countertop display container often holds most, if not all, of the stored beverage, and due to limitations of available counter space, does not hold a very large quantity of the beverage. The container therefore needs to be frequently refilled in order to serve a large number of customers efficiently. The refills are messy, time consuming, and unsightly. The container also needs to be cleaned frequently to prevent bacteria buildup.
A post-mix dispenser does not require manual refilling: there is no display bowl to refill, and the concentrate, water and, in some cases, CO2, are mixed automatically. The post-mix apparatus, however, typically lacks an appealing visual display to prompt impulse purchases. The post-mix dispenser also does not have the counter space location problems of the pre-mix dispenser, because the beverage concentrate generally resides at a remote location. The apparatus does, however, require a dedicated water line for provision of beverage. Since concentrate, water, and in some cases CO2, are mixed for each individual beverage, it can be difficult to control the precise ratio if any of the regulators that control mixing, the water line, concentrate line, concentrate pump, or dispensing faucet are malfunctioning. Further, there is no quality control check on the beverage until it is already served, and the customer has received inferior quality beverage.
Dispenser and beverage manufacturers have been unable to provide an apparatus and method for efficiently dispensing a large quantity of beverage to the public in remote locations or outdoors. Each previous design has significant shortcomings that limit the amount of beverage able to be dispensed, the cost effectiveness of the dispensing method, the efficiency of the dispensing process, the visual display prompting impulse purchases, or the quality of the beverage itself.
The invention comprises a system for maintaining the freshness of a beverage while allowing a delivery of the beverage to customers at a visually appealing remote dispensing station. A quantity of the beverage is maintained in a beverage tank housed within an enclosure. The contents of the beverage tank are delivered to one or more dispensing pumps in a remote dispensing station by means of a dispensing conduit connected between a flow valve on the beverage tank and the dispensing pump in the remote dispensing station. The beverage is then dispensed from a serving valve in the remote dispensing station, which is connected to the dispensing pumps by means of serving conduit.
In one aspect of the invention, the beverage tank has a fill opening for adding beverage ingredients.
In another aspect of the invention, the temperature of the enclosure and beverage tank are regulated by means of a refrigeration unit and condenser.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a mixing pump circulates the beverage within the beverage tank to promote uniform temperature, taste, and consistency of the beverage.
In one embodiment, the refrigeration unit, condenser, and mixing pump connect to an electrical power supply through an electrical conduit.
In one embodiment, the dispensing pump actuates in response to a pressure drop downstream of the pump; in another embodiment, the dispensing pump actuates in response to the opening of a serving valve connected to the dispensing pump via a serving conduit.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the remote dispensing station has the appearance of one or more fruits or vegetables associated with the beverage, such as a lemon if lemonade is dispensed, and the like.
In still another aspect of the invention, an upper portion of the remote dispensing station forms a closure that can be hinged or removed to allow a person to serve customers from within the lower portion of the remote dispensing station. In one embodiment, the person can enter the interior of the lower portion by a door connected to the lower portion of the remote dispensing station by a hinging mechanism.
In yet another aspect of the invention, one or more wheels are attached to one or more wheel axles mounted to the lower portion of the remote dispensing station, thus rendering the station mobile.
In one embodiment, a countertop upon which objects may be placed connects to a part of the lower portion of the remote dispensing station.
In another aspect of the invention, water service or a fresh water tank, and waste service or a wastewater tank are connected to the remote dispensing station. In one embodiment, both hot and cold running water are provided to service the beverage cart. In another embodiment, a sink is connected to the water and waste systems in the remote dispensing station. In yet another embodiment, the remote dispensing station has a multi-compartment sink for rinsing, soaking and drying glasses and other food and beverage containers as needed to meet various health and safety codes and regulations. In still yet another embodiment, an ice sink is installed in the remote dispensing station.